Mario Pedini (1918–2003) was an Italian politician who was a member of the

Christian Democrats __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...

. He served at the

Italian Parliament The Italian Parliament ( it, Parlamento italiano) is the national parliament of the Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1943), the transitiona ...

and

Italian Senate The Senate of the Republic ( it, Senato della Repubblica), or simply the Senate ( it, Senato), is the upper house of the bicameral Italian Parliament (the other being the Chamber of Deputies). The two houses together form a perfect bicameral sy ...

. He held different ministerial posts and was one of the early members of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

Biography

Pedini was born in

Montichiari Montichiari (Brescian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on December 27, 1991. The town is home to the Gabriele D'Annunzio airport (Italian: ''Aer ...

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...

, on 27 December 1918. He had a degree in philosophy from the

University of Pavia The University of Pavia ( it, Università degli Studi di Pavia, UNIPV or ''Università di Pavia''; la, Alma Ticinensis Universitas) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it one ...

in 1943. He also obtained a degree in law. Following his graduation he worked as

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

, teacher and principal at secondary schools. Following the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he became a member of the Christian Democracy Party. From 1953 he was elected to the Italian Parliament and in 1976 he was elected as a senator. Pedini served as the undersecretary for scientific research in 1968 and then as the undersecretary for foreign affairs between 1969 and 1974. He was the minister of scientific research in the fourth cabinet of

Aldo Moro Aldo Romeo Luigi Moro (; 23 September 1916 – 9 May 1978) was an Italian statesman and a prominent member of the Christian Democracy (DC). He served as prime minister of Italy from December 1963 to June 1968 and then from November 1974 to July ...

from 1975 to 1978. He also served as the minister of cultural and environmental heritage in the period 1976-1978 and as the minister of public education and universities in the period 1978–1979. He was a member of the European Parliament for two terms: from 1959 to 1968 and from 1979 to 1984. Pedini retired from politics in 1984 and worked as a lecturer in the field of

economy of the European Union The economy of the European Union is the joint economy of the member states of the European Union (EU). It is the third largest economy in the world in nominal terms, after the United States and China, and the third one in purchasing power p ...

at the

University of Parma The University of Parma ( it, Università degli Studi di Parma, UNIPR) is a public university in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is organised in nine departments. As of 2016 the University of Parma has about 26,000 students. History During the ...

. In 1977 Pedini was appointed director of the

University of Brescia The University of Brescia ( it, Università degli Studi di Brescia) is an Italian public research university located in Brescia, Italy. It was founded in 1982 and is branched in 4 Faculties. The University of Brescia was officially established ...

of which he was the president between 1979 and 1985. He died on 7 July 2003.

Views

In mid-1970s when Pendini and Aldo Moro were both serving as cabinet ministers they had close economic and political relations with Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Russia. They also managed to have good relations with the United States during the Cold War period.

Honor and legacy

Pedini was the recipient of the

Italian Medal of Merit for Culture and Art The Medal of Merit for Culture and Art ( it, Medaglia ai benemeriti della scienza e della cultura; la, Medal est per Meritum unius culturae et artis) is an Italian medal established on 16 November 1950. The medal has three classes (gold, silv ...

(30 October 1980). He was posthumously awarded the gold medal for Civil Valor in 2005. In 2019 a square was named after him in his hometown, Montichiari.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pedini, Mario 1918 births 2003 deaths Christian Democracy (Italy) politicians Education ministers of Italy Deputies of Legislature II of Italy Deputies of Legislature III of Italy Deputies of Legislature IV of Italy Senators of Legislature VII of Italy MEPs for Italy 1958–1979 MEPs for Italy 1979–1984 Politicians from Brescia Senators of Legislature VIII of Italy Deputies of Legislature V of Italy Deputies of Legislature VI of Italy University of Pavia alumni Academic staff of the University of Parma Academic staff of the University of Brescia Culture ministers of Italy Environment ministers of Italy